(2004/5764)

 “On the table you should place showbread before Me always.”

The showbread was prepared on Friday and it rested on the table until the following Shabbat.  Incredibly, it maintained its warmth and freshness.   This miracle was from the love of Hashem to the Jewish people.   When the Jews made the pilgrimage on Yom Tov, the table would be lifted for everyone to view the miracle of the fresh loaves of bread.   There were many miracles that occurred in the Beit Hamikdash as mentioned in Pirkei Avot. Why was it particularly this miracle that was established in front of those who made the pilgrimage?

When King David was in the wilderness of Yehudah he sang to Hashem “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh yearns for you in a barren land and tired with no water.   Just as I beheld You in the Sanctuary to see your might and your glory.” Simply understood, King David is expressing his yearning now to be as close to Hashem as he was within the Sanctuary.   The Ba’al Shem Tov provides a Chassidic explanation that King David is actually praying that he should keep his thirst and yearning he now has for Hashem while in a barren and a faraway land, also when he is actually within the Sanctuary.   People typically crave for things that seem faraway and out of the way.   Once obtained, however the object of desire often loses its appeal. Thus, a child away from home yearns to see his parents, and as the days approach for his return home, his excitement increases greatly. However, when he is finally home he neglects his parents and takes them for granted.   Therefore, King David expressed the wish that even after he is granted the opportunity of again being close to God and beholding Godliness in the sanctuary, his aspiration and strong desire for Godliness should not be lessened.   The Jews were shown that the showbread was always maintained, so their desire and longing for Hashem before the pilgrimage should be retained once they are in Jerusalem and even after leaving.